Below you’ll find some common questions consumers will ask a deck pro, followed by our answer.
Which is better: painting or staining a deck?
There is no one answer suits all. Both painting and staining has it’s pro’s and con’s. It usually boils down to personal preference.
Painting a deck
- It is fairly easy to maintain a painted deck.
- You’ll have an abundant amount of color options.
- Paints are good at hiding flaws
Cons: Painting will trap moisture in the wood, painting a deck will also mask the natural beauty of wood and when you choose to paint a deck, it will generally be permanent, you can’t go from paint to stain without taking extreme, expensive measures.
Staining a deck
- You get to choose how much or how little of the natural wood grains show through.
- With a stain, you get to keep the “natural appearance of wood”.
- A good stain will seal the wood, preventing moisture from penetrating through.
Cons: Won’t last more than a few years, staining will not fill in any cracks, some woods do not hold the stain very well and staining isn’t the best choice for hiding flaws.
What are the common woods used for decking?
- Pressure Treated Wood – the classic, low-cost decking boards.
- Ipe – an expensive wood that maintains it’s appearance with little maintenance.
- Redwood – moderately priced wood that weathers to a deep red color over time.
- Red Cedar – moderately priced wood that can be left untreated and weathers to a silvery-gray color.
- Hem-Fir – the cheapest wood that’s best used when painting a deck but must be highly preserved.
What does it cost to build a deck?
Depending upon your specific project design and material requirements the costs will definitely vary. If you would like to schedule a free, no obligation estimate with a deck contractor in your area, please contact us.
Otherwise, on average a 20×20 deck will cost from $9k to $14k. For a 12×12 deck, approximately $7k, and smaller decks averaging around $2k.